Local banking firm Nedbank Group has been acknowledged by The Banker Magazine and Financial Times as the 2015 Bank of the Year for Africa, as well as Bank of the Year for South Africa.

Nedbank tells Mining Weekly that this is the first time it has been named Bank of the Year for Africa, but the fourth time it has received the award for South African Bank of the Year, having received the accolade in 2011, 2013 and 2014.

The awards are a vote of confidence in Nedbank’s strategy execution and demonstrate its ability to partner with clients wanting to expand their operations in South Africa or into the rest of Africa, the bank notes.

“Nedbank’s strategy for the continent is to build a pan-African banking network through investment in our existing subsidiaries and explore acquisition opportunities in the South African Development Community (SADC), as well as East Africa, and leverage our strategic alliance with Ecobank in Central and West Africa,” says Nedbank CE Mike Brown.

“Through our long-standing alliance with Ecobank, which focuses on Central and West Africa, as well as our own presence in six countries across the SADC region and East Africa, we continue to work towards contributing to Africa’s economic development and promoting financial inclusion . . .”

Nedbank Corporate & Investment Banking (NCIB) is one of the key sponsors of this year’s Investing in African Mining Indaba, which runs from February 8 to 11. The Nedbank Networking Lounge will be located at the main entrance of the Cape Town International Convention Centre.

NCIB senior investment banker Mark Tyler states that the conference provides investors, governments and corporates with a platform to discuss better ways of doing business, which includes mitigating risks when investing in this sector, as well as the best exercise for sustainable mining practices.

The event has become a forum for the industry to address the political and social environment of the mining industry, and involvement by African governments has increased greatly, he adds.

The bank aims to meet with clients and industry players across the continent to network, share insight and help recognise opportunities. Tyler further highlights that networking with the bank’s clients takes priority, though Nedbank delegates will attend specific presentations and sessions during the Mining Indaba to meet new clients and to get a feel for the state of the industry.

He notes that working in the industry will be as tough in 2016 as it was in 2015, adding that the bank is, therefore, looking forward to a gathering of industry players who want to improve the sector.